Spinach Dal

Dal means dried pulse.  Pulse are beans like lentils or peas.  When they are died and split, they are called dal.  Thick stews made from pulses are eaten in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

 

In India, dal is eaten with rice or roti.  

One of these days I need to go to India.  I can't get enough of the food.  I have heard that it is a chaotic place to travel, but there are many beautiful things to see.  Of course, the food would be wonderful. 

 I only know Indian food from restaurants, but I have never been disappointed.

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com.  I added ginger and garlic but omitted mustard seed.  I was going to add fresh ginger, but used dried instead.  I put a piece of ginger in my basket at the supermarket, but by the time I got home, it wasn't in my shopping bags.  Has this ever happened to you?

The ingredients are 1 1/2 cups lentils, 3 1/2 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon chile powder, 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger, 1 pound spinach, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon garam masala, and 1/2 cup coconut milk.

I soaked the beans in water while I got out all the ingredients.  I put the three and a half cups of water on the stove to boil.  Once it started boiling, I added the drained lentils.

I added salt, turmeric, chili powder, and ginger. I brought it to a boil again and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

While the lentils cooked, I melted the butter in another skillet.

I sauteed the onions with the cumin and garam masala garlic until the onions were translucent.  

Before the onions were translucent, I added the garlic.  I cooked the garlic for less time because I have heard garlic scorches easily.

After the lentils have cooked for 15 minutes, I added the spinach.  I think I should have chopped the baby spinach a little because the pieces were quite large.  It looks like there is way too much spinach, but it cooks down.  I let the spinach cook with the lentils for 5 minutes.

After the spinach had wilted down, I added the sauteed onions.

I added the coconut milk and stirred. 

I heated all the ingredients up, and than it was ready!

I ate this with whole wheat flat bread.

The dal is fragrant and delicious.  The spices are so warm and alluring.  

It is filling and nourishing.  It makes a great meal for a cool fall or winter day.

I didn't miss meat in this dish at all.  It is savory, spicy, and wholesome.